. >> both majority leader harry reid and minority leader mcconnell expressed optimism after the meeting with the president. what is the basis of their optimism? is this a sign we might be one step, two steps closer to a deal? >> it appears we are a step closer to a deal. what are talking about doing is extraordinarily popular, except for the big marquee item, letting taxes rise on the wealthy. the rest of the stuff they're looking at doing this stuff they do all the time. extending expiring tax policies, benefit businesses, expand college tuition credits, protecting people from the alternative minimum tax. it is all very urgent stuff that needs to be done. there are only two even remotely controversial pieces of this, what to do with the estate tax and where or how to define the wealthy people whose taxes are going to go up. the rest of it is basically protecting people from tax hikes, extending unemployment benefits for some time is controversial for republicans, but it appears to have a great they would do that if -- it appears that they have agreed. it can be relatively easily if the